TIPS Key test taking tips to help ensure your project stays on track. WARNINGS Major pitfalls that often cause people to fail the test.

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1 Page 1 Course Introduction Student Guide Overview This student guide has been designed as the primary resource for Looking G Development s PMP Certification Exam Prep course. This course is delivered in a traditional croom format, using distance learning, DVDs or several other formats. Throughout the guide major points will be called out in the sidebar to improve learning. These comments will appear with one of several indicators to highlight the type of information provided. These indicators include: TIPS Key test taking tips to help ensure your project stays on track. WARNINGS Major pitfalls that often cause people to fail the test. FORMULAS Major formulas or calculations used in the exam. PRACTICE EXAMS Practice exams to help you prepare for the exam. INFORMATION Quick points of general information about the PMP exam. PowerPoint Reference Denotes to which slide the content is referring. The course has been divided into 14 chapters designed to cover three days. The chapters are designed to take participants through the entire PMP Certification Exam. The 14 chapters include: Chapter 1 Application & the PMP Exam Chapter 2 Types of Exam Questions Chapter 3 The Basics of Project Management Chapter 4 Project Integration Management Chapter 5 Project Scope Management Chapter 6 Project Time Management Chapter 7 Project Cost Management Chapter 8 Project Quality Management Chapter 9 Project Human Resources Management Chapter 10 Project Communication Management Chapter 11 Project Risk Management Chapter 12 Project Procurement Management Chapter 13 Project Stakeholder Management Slide 3

2 Page 2 Chapter 14 Professional Responsibility Not all chapters have the same level of difficulty. You should allot your time based upon the level of difficulty when studying. Most candidates consider the most difficult to least difficult information/knowledge areas as follows: Focus your studies based on the level of difficulty Increased Difficulty Learning the 47 PMI processes, inputs, outputs, tools and techniques Integration Management Risk Management Cost and Time Management (most of the tools and techniques are the same in both sections) Procurement Management Quality Management Scope Management Human Resource Management Communication Management At the end of the last chapter an appendix can be found. It contains the PMBOK Guide Glossary of Terms. For more information visit the Looking G Development website at Additionally, it is critically important that you review the PMP Credential Handbook found on PMI s website at The PMP Credential Handbook Course Expectations Welcome to the world of PMI and PMP Certification! Today, project management is one of the fastest growing, most in-demand professions in the world. This course has been designed to help you navigate the mountain of information surrounding certification and help you successfully prepare to pass the PMP certification examination. Unlike other certifications, it is totally unrealistic to expect that you can take this exam prep course and immediately pass the exam. You will have to invest your own time to pass. Upon completing this course, you should plan on spending hours studying for the test. This book will be the primary resource for that time in combination with the LGd 2013 PMP Exam Preparation Study Placemat v.7.0. You must plan to spend 30 to 40 hours studying to pass the exam. This course assumes you already are familiar with the 2012 edition of the PMBOK Guide. If you have not ever really read the PMBOK Guide stop now and enroll in Looking G Development s Introduction to Project Management course (course ID: 1384-PMP01) as that course provides a current PMBOK Guide and introduces its basic concepts. We strongly recommend you read the PMBOK Guide using the Three Read Technique used by many of the top graduate schools in the United States. In this technique:

3 Page 3 First skim the entire work taking not more than 90 minutes to two hours for the entire book looking at the headings, graphics and captions. You then read for understanding while highlighting important information. However, with the PMBOK Guide be careful as everything seems important. Be selective in what you highlight. Finally, review your highlighted content. Using this technique will save significant time and dramatically increase your understanding and retention. Use the Three Read Technique to quickly learn the PMBOK Guide. A common misperception is that the PMP Exam is based on the PMBOK Guide. This is not the case. The exam is actually based upon the Role Delineation Study that is conducted every three to five years as part of PMI s standards development process. Additionally, eleven other books are considered foundational for the exam. The PMBOK Guide is one of the eleven, and most practitioners would consider it to be the most important because it provides the framework for project management. The other books used as a foundation for the exam include: Project & Program Risk Management, R. Max Wideman, Editor Quality Management for Projects & Programs, Lewis R. Ireland Doing Business Internationally, Walker, Walker & Shmitz The Cultural Dimensions of International Business, Gary P. Ferraro Global Literacies, Robert Rosen How to Lead Work Teams, Fran Rees Principles of Project Management, PMI Project Management A Systems Approach, Harold Kerzner Human Resource Skills for the Project Manager, Vijay K. Verma Earned Value Practice Standard, PMI It is not recommended you read all of these books to prepare for the exam unless you are really struggling with a topic and wish to have all the pertinent information. PMI s Assumptions As you prepare for the PMP exam it is important that you understand some basic assumptions PMI makes. These tidbits can be thought of as free points on the exam or provide much needed context to exam questions. One of the basic

4 Page 4 assumptions PMI makes with the exam is you have real world experience managing projects. This assumption is tested in the Experience Verification Form with the experience hours required in both Category I and II. As you go through the exam remember that more often than not, PMI is asking the question from the perspective of a large project and they do not assume any one specific industry. Examples of large projects include: Deploying a new accounting, ERP or CRM system for any organization of more than 500 people. Building a new building, road, light-rail system or other large traditional engineering endeavor. Developing a new commercial product. Creating a new manufacturing process for medium to heavy industry or hardware for a high technology firm. Developing a new support operation such as a new accounting operation, call center, or help desk for an organization of more than 500 people. It is not enough to simply have worked on projects like these. To be successful with the exam, PMI assumes that everything has not always gone perfectly. You can test your own background by making sure you have experienced: Significant issues with scope change. Significant schedule and cost overruns. Problems managing resource constraints. Problems managing product quality. Significant resource burnout. A sense of fighting your processes to complete the real work. The first free question is about what the acronym PMP represents. When formally called out PMP stands for Project Management Professional. The second major free question is When was PMI founded?. PMI was founded in The third set of free questions deals with understanding why PMI believes it is important that project managers become certified. PMI offers three main reasons for certification from the project manager s perspective. These include: Throughout the exam keep in mind the perspective of managing a large multi-national project. Make sure your experience fits with PMI s expectations before attempting certification. Slide 4 Higher income potential Shows knowledge of international standards Is required by a growing number of employers

5 Page 5 The Certification Process Slide 5 Part of being successful in obtaining the PMP is understanding the process that must be undertaken to qualify and sit for the exam. This process begins by visiting PMI s website at and selecting Career Development and then Obtain a Credential from the top navigation as shown in the Image 1 to Image 1: PMI s Website Navigation the left. On the right side of the credential page will appear links for each of PMI s major certification handbooks. Select the link for the PMP to obtain a copy of the PMP Certification Handbook. The handbook downloads as a PDF file and it is recommended you save a copy for future reference. Once you have downloaded the handbook the real work begins. On the far righthand side of the Obtain a Credential page on PMI s website is a link to Apply for a Credential. Select this link to begin completing your Experience Verification Form (application). If this is the first time you have visited the site you will have to create a login. This login will be valid for 90 days and will allow you to complete the application over several sittings rather than all at once. This web application is very similar to a job application and requires you to prove you have the requisite amount of professional experience to sit for the PMP exam. The form asks for your experience LEADING projects, but does NOT require that you actually held the title of project manager. As you complete the application, you will be required to categorize your hours of experience based upon the five (5) process groups found in the PMBOK Guide. It is not required that you have hours reported in all the process groups on every project, but it is required that in total you have spent time in all the process groups. Most importantly, it is critical that you complete the application using the terminology found in the PMBOK Guide and not the terminology from your organization. This is important because most of the application reviewers do not have experience within your organization and have been trained based upon PMI s standards. You do not want to do anything that would confuse your reviewer and thereby slow down the application process. Do not be tempted to exaggerate your experience in any way. PMI is very good at weeding embellished applications out and you will likely be caught. Additionally, such efforts are clear violations of the PMI ethics standards. PMI targets an audit rate between 12% and 18% of all applications received. Therefore, it is also possible to be selected for an audit without having a problem on your application. Should you be selected for an audit, PMI will contact each of your former employers to confirm the information provided, and you will be asked to provide Make sure to use PMBOK Guide terms and not your organization s when completing the Experience Verification Form to prevent confusion.

6 Page 6 formal proof of your degree and educational status. PMI commits to completing their portion of the audit process in five to seven days but you are allowed up to 90 days to collect all the information. Should you be audited you can reasonably expect the process to add 30 days to your timeline. Once you have completed the Experience Verification Form you must submit it to PMI. You are not required to submit payment at the time of application but you must pay the test fees prior to being able to schedule your exam. PMI provides a significant discount to PMI members, and it actually costs less to join PMI and pay for the test than to pay for the exam as a non-member. The fees for the exam are: PMI members pay $405 (retaking the test costs $275) Non-members pay $555 (retaking the test costs $375) Once you have received your acceptance notification from PMI and have paid your exam fee you can schedule the test. With limited exceptions, the test is delivered as a computer-based exam and is not based on a set schedule. The exam is administered by Prometric Testing Centers and in most locations can be taken Monday through Friday during normal business hours and on Saturday in many locations. However, this does not necessarily mean you can take the exam whenever you want. Prometric provides support for most standardized exams so there is often significant competition to get a seat. Therefore, you should plan on scheduling your exam at least two weeks prior to your target date, and plan on having a little flexibility around your date and time. To schedule your exam or to find the nearest testing center visit Prometric s website at: PMP Candidate Requirements Many candidates are confused by PMI s requirements for entry to the exam. There are two major components of the requirements: your professional experience and your project management specific education. Join PMI and save yourself some money on the test. You will also get other great benefits! Find the nearest testing center with the Promentrics URL. PMI breaks a candidate s experience into two categories referred to as Category I and Category II. The defining criteria is whether or not you hold a four year bachelor s degree or global equivalent. Candidates do not receive additional consideration for advanced degrees. Those holding a four year degree are considered Category I candidates and those without a four year degree or equivalent are considered Category II candidates. The category determines the number of hours of professional experience required to qualify for the exam.

7 Page 7 Category I Experience Minimum three years/36 months unique nonoverlapping professional project management experience during which at least 4,500 hours were spent leading and directing project tasks. Category II Experience Minimum five years/60 months unique nonoverlapping professional project management experience during which at least 7,500 hours were spent leading and directing project tasks. Regardless of the category claimed, applicants are also required to complete 35 hours of formal education in project management. The hours from this requirement are formally referred to as Contact Hours, and provide one of the greatest areas of confusion for PMP candidates. A contact hour is easiest to understand as an hour of formal education with an instructor. The actual course may be delivered using almost any method including online or virtual courses so long as there is a way to test the learning such as a post-course exam and/or survey. However, so called self-directed learning often may not be counted. Contact hours do not ever expire and college or university courses may be used as well. If college or university courses are being referenced use the rule of thumb that one hour of face-time in the croom with an instructor counts as one contact hour. Therefore, if your university was on a typical trimester system (fall, spring and summer) with 15 week sessions meeting three times a week you would claim 45 contact hours for a three credit hour course. Finally, contact hours are the same as professional development units or PDUs. PDUs represent the continuing education credits a PMI certificate holder must obtain to keep their certification current. The PMP requires an individual to obtain 60 PDUs over a three year period. However, certificate holders may not count any credits toward PDUs received prior to their certification date. More information about PMI s continuing education requirement can be found in the certification handbook. Make sure to consult with your instructor should you have any concerns about any courses you have taken. Participants in this course may claim 21 contact hours or PDUs depending on their certification status. Contact hours never expire. You cannot begin collecting PDUs until after you are certified. This course counts for 21 contact hours. PMI periodically makes changes to the exam and its processes including, but not limited to: changes to the application, processing targets, qualification requirements, the passing score, the breakdown of questions on the test, and/or test administration. For the latest information contact PMI directly. If there is a conflict between this book and PMI always resolve the situation in favor of PMI s information. Should you have questions about certification or any other PMI specific information you should always contact PMI Customer Care at:

8 Page 8 Project Management Institute Certification Dept. 14 Campus Boulevard Newtown Square, PA USA Tel: Fax: customercare@pmi.org Slide 6 Should you not have access you the internet, it is possible to complete the experience verification form using the application found in the PMP Certification Handbook. Once you have completed the application simply mail it in to the address listed above. However, using the paper application will significantly slow down the review process. PMI claims they will review paper applications within ten days of receipt for an individual and within 20 days for a group. The standard for online applications is five days. You should not hold these as guarantees as it has been known to take longer based on the volume of applications PMI is receiving at any point in time. The PMP Exam The standard format for the exam is a four hour, 200 question, computer-based test administered in English. However, PMI does allow for paper-based testing in limited circumstances. Those circumstances include: Candidates who live at least miles/300 km from a Prometric CBT site. Employers (Corporate Sponsors) who wish to administer a PMI examination to their employees. In this case, there is no restriction on distance; however only employees of the corporation may test at these events. PMI also reserves the right to cancel a corporate session if less than 10 participants are scheduled to take the exam. PMI maintains additional restrictions for paper-based testing. To learn more about paper-based testing contact PMI directly at pbtexams@pmi.org. Although the test is only provided in English, PMI does provide additional language support in several different languages. This support consists of the actual exam in English on one half of the screen and the question and possible answers translated into a second language on the other half of the screen. The available languages are shown in the Image 2 table to the right. Arabic Hebrew Brazilian Portuguese Italian Chinese (Simplified) Japanese Chinese (Traditional) Korean French Russian German Spanish Image 2: Additional Languages Supported

9 Page 9 Upon entering the testing center you must provide two forms of identification. One of these must be a government issued photo ID. Many of the testing centers provide storage for personal items. However, it is strongly recommended that you do not take anything other than your two forms of ID, keys, and a non-scientific calculator with you. Should you get any math questions the calculator can come in handy and often prevents simple errors. However, it must be non-scientific. The testing center will provide scratch paper and pencils for your use. Once you enter the testing center and provide your identification you will be led into the testing room. Depending on the center, there might be one or two stations or more than a dozen. Each workstation is the same, and provide access to the large number of tests administered by Prometric. The person sitting next to you might be taking the PMP exam or they might be taking any number of other exams. Even if the person sitting next to you is taking the PMP exam, they will not have the same test as you. When you sit to take the exam it will automatically be generated from a large test bank of more than 2,500 potential questions. Although no examination preparation organization has access to this test bank, PMI does disclose some important information about the test. To learn more about the test makeup, review the Project Management Professional Examination Specification available at the PMI marketplace on PMI s website. Exam questions are broken into six basic groupings and the number of questions per group is weighted based upon the table shown in Image 3 to the right. Domain Initiation 11% Planning 23% Executing 27% Percentage of Questions When you sit at your Monitoring & Controlling 21% workstation you will be allowed Closing 9% up to 15 minutes to complete a Professional & Social Responsibility 9% tutorial that helps candidates become familiar with the computer interface and how the Image 3: PMP Examination Blueprint exam is presented. This time is not considered part of the allowed four hours for the actual test. There is also a 15 minute post-exam survey about your experience and preparation. Both of these 15 minute items are optional. Only take your ID, keys and a nonscientific calculator into the testing center. Slide 7 Each of the 200 questions provides four (4) potential answers. The four hour time limit is more than enough time to complete the exam as the average time to complete the test is between 2.5 hours and three hours. Of the 200 questions, 25 questions are considered pretest or validation questions. These questions do not count in either the numerator or denominator for calculating your exam score.

10 Page 10 However, it is impossible for the candidate to know which questions are real and which questions are part of the evaluation bank. The pretest questions are used by PMI to constantly develop and test new potential questions for the test bank. Once you begin the actual exam make sure to answer every question as there is no penalty for incorrect answers, but a question left blank is considered incorrect. As you progress through the exam you may mark any question you desire for review, and at the end of the exam you may review all the questions or only those questions marked for review. Upon completing the exam and your review the system will ask if you are ready to have the exam scored. Once you confirm you are ready for the exam to be scored it will take less than ten seconds for the results to be presented. It is important to remember that the PMP Exam is a pass/fail exam. The required passing score is 61% or 106 of the 175 graded questions. Unfortunately, only approximately 68% of the exams taken are actually passed! Stop for a moment and think about those two numbers. What they suggest is this exam is so difficult that only about two-thirds of those who take the test can answer enough questions correctly to obtain a D or better, and it is a multiple choice test where every question has only four potential answers. Simply put, the PMP Exam is likely the most difficult standardized test you will ever take. Do not underestimate how hard it will be! Slide 8 The exam passing score is 61%, but only 68% of exams taken are passed! What Makes the PMP Exam So Difficult? So what makes the PMP Exam so tough? The standards for the profession are a well-known and understood quantity. There are lots of organizations providing exam preparation courses, and PMI requires every candidate to meet a requisite number of hours of both experience and education. Shouldn t everyone pass? No, if everyone passed the exam it would seriously undermine the value of the certification. PMP certification does not prove qualification any more than having a doctor be Board Certified proves they are good at their job and have a good bedside manner. All certification proves is that a test has been passed and the holder of the certification has at least a foundational level of knowledge. Typically, there are ten reasons why the PMP Exam is so difficult. These reasons include: An assumption that the test is simply over the PMBOK Guide. As has already been discussed, there are 12 books that are considered fair game for the exam. The PMBOK Guide is just one of these. Memorizing everything in it will not ensure passage of the exam. However, the PMBOK Guide is the most important of the 12 books for preparation purposes. The exam requires more than memorization. Many other certifications simply require you to regurgitate information from a textbook, standard, or an exam prep course. In many cases, it is possible to take the exam preparation course Certification does NOT mean qualification. Slide 9

11 Page 11 and then immediately take the actual exam. This is not possible with the PMP because simply memorizing a bunch of formulas and information is not enough. Passing the PMP requires memorization, real world experience, and a clear understanding of the PMI perspective. A large percentage of the exam questions ask what would you do in a given situation. Unfortunately, the PMBOK Guide answer is almost never one of the four choices. If you do not have real world project management experience it will be very difficult to understand the context. If you have not memorized the processes and framework in the PMBOK Guide you will not know the PMI way of thinking about a topic. The exam focuses on the five process groups and nine knowledge areas found in the PMBOK Guide. The PMBOK Guide is the standard for the profession of project management. There are well over two million PMBOK Guides in circulation. However, the Guide does not represent a formal methodology for doing projects. It is a framework. There are more than 30 major methodologies that are fully compliant with the standard. The exam requires you to answer questions from PMI s perspective and not the perspective of your current or past job. This fact creates a very delicate balancing act. As was previously mentioned, it is impossible to pass the exam without real world experience. However, relying too heavily on personal experience will cause you to fail the exam as PMI requires the questions to be answered from the perspective of the standard. To answer these questions you therefore must know the standard. Memorization is not enough, but it s where you must start. Rarely will an answer be a direct quote from the PMBOK Guide. The test tries to simulate the real world which has major implications on the potential answers. In the real world, rarely is the textbook answer an option. In the real world, project managers are regularly selecting from sub-optimal choices. You must do the same on the test. As important as the PMBOK Guide is for exam preparation, very rarely will the correct answer be a direct quote out of the standard. However, you will not be able to correctly answer the questions if you do not know the standard as a foundation. This sets up a double standard. Study the PMBOK Guide or not? We strongly recommend you choose to study the standard. Some questions might be a series. This means the first question in the series asks you to solve a math problem or model and then anywhere from one to four additional questions ask what the resultant value tells you about the situation. If you get the first question incorrect you will likely get all the associated questions incorrect as well. Miss these questions and it s a quick way to fail the exam. Some of the questions are based on the inputs, outputs, tools and techniques found in the 42 processes described in the PMBOK Guide. This creates a list Much of the exam asks what would you do in a given situation. Make sure you can differentiate between a framework and a methodology. Slide 10

12 Page 12 of several hundred items that must be learned with the correct associations. That is a lot of information and it takes time. Manage yours accordingly. A number of key formulas will likely be on the exam. These formulas include: Earned Value, Critical Chain or CCPM, PERT, EMV, and CPM. However, it is a little like purchasing insurance. The formula you are most likely to see on the exam is the one you have studied the least or with which you are least comfortable. In fact, if you really study hard and master all the formulas it is even possible to not get any questions requiring their use, but if you don t study them you will be the one person that seems to get an exam of nothing but math. Which one of these scenarios sounds better to you? Another 10%-15% of the exam will require the use of other formulas such as the formulas for Didactic Communication, Standard Deviation, depreciation, or Net Present Value (NPV). The same rules apply here as above. Final Comments Before Starting It is very important that you plan on taking your exam within 45 days of completing this course. Although according to PMI you have up to one year to complete the exam from the date of your application acceptance, our experience has taught that students who do not complete the exam within 45 days have a high probability of never taking the exam at all. It all starts by making the commitment. You WILL complete the process within 45 days from the end of this c. The clock is ticking and it is time to get serious. You need to have a plan for studying for the exam. There are a few techniques we recommend to help. First, become part of a study group. Studying with others can really help. Also, the single best thing you can do to prepare for the exam is teach the material to someone else. Studies have shown you will retain more than 90% of what you have to teach to others. You must plan to take the exam within 45 days of this course otherwise it won t happen. Study in a group for best results. Should it be required, you may take the PMP exam up to three times in one 12 month period. Should you fail the exam three times in that period PMI requires you to wait a full 12 months before you can sit again. We have never had a candidate need to take the exam three times and percent of our candidates pass on the first attempt. Do not become the exception. We know the test and have a proven method to get you ready. This process and the knowledge you need has absolutely nothing to do with the way your organization manages projects. As much as you might want to argue with some of the processes, most if not all, find their basis in common sense and have been designed to work across a wide range of industries, and they are on the test. Arguing questions or answers will not serve to do anything but waste time and confuse you. Should you have any concerns about this course, please bring it to your instructor s

13 Page 13 attention immediately or us at This course, like all the courses in the LGd library is 100% guaranteed. If you are not satisfied for any reason we will gladly refund your money. Additionally, if you fail the PMP exam you may ask for a full refund or sit in another prep c at no additional charge. All we ask is you attest to the fact that you followed our process in your preparation. The rest of this course is designed to follow the basic structure of the PMBOK Guide with practice exams designed to facilitate learning at the end of each section. The first two chapters are the exceptions as they simply introduce information about the test and process. Chapter Three in the Student Guide represents chapters one through three of the PMBOK Guide. Chapters Four and onward align with the same chapter number found in the PMBOK Guide. You know you are ready to take the real exam when you are regularly scoring 90% or better on all practice exams. There are two types of questions in this guide: Questions designed to facilitate your learning of the processes, formulas, inputs, outputs, tools and techniques. These are memorization questions and do not reflect the questions you will see on the real exam. However, they are a powerful tool to help you learn the information that will allow you to answer the real exam questions. Questions designed to simulate what you will see on the real test. It is important that you do not write in the course book when taking your practice exams because you will want to retake the practice tests multiple times. Finally, you know you are ready for the real exam when you are regularly scoring 90% or better on the practice tests.

14 Page 14 Exercise 1 PMP Application & Exam These questions are not designed to replicate or reflect actual exam questions. They are designed to ensure you clearly understand the topics discussed in this chapter which will help you study for the PMP Exam. Exercise 1 1. Which of the following correctly represents the acronym PMP? A. Project Mentoring Professional B. Project Management Professional C. Program Management Professional D. Portfolio Management Professional 2. Which of the following is a benefit to holding the PMP credential? A. Higher income potential B. Shows knowledge of a global standard C. It is required by a growing number of companies D. All of the above 3. If you have a four-year baccalaureate degree how many hours of professional experience leading projects do you need? A. 3,600 B. 4,500 C. 7,500 D. None of the above 4. If a candidate is attempting to qualify to sit for the PMP exam how many contact hours must be completed? A. 35 B. None, PDUs are required C. 45 D If you do not have a four-year baccalaureate degree how many hours of professional experience leading project do you need? A. 6,000 B. 4,500 C. 9,000 D. 7, Which of the following best describes a contact hour? A. Contact hours are the same as PDUs B. Contact hours represent hours of formal instruction or education in the field of project management C. Contact hours represent hours spent reading about or training in the field of project management D. None of the above 7. How many questions are in the PMP exam? A. 175 B. 250

15 Page 15 C. 200 D Which of the following PMBOK Guide knowledge areas represents the largest percentage of test questions: A. Executing B. Monitoring & Controlling C. Planning D. Initiating 9. What is the required passing score for the PMP exam? A. 68% B. 80% C. 61% D. 75% 10. Approximately what percentage of test questions will be a direct quote from the PMBOK Guide? A. 15% B. 21% C. 5%-10% D. 0%

16 Page 16 Exercise 1 PMP Application & Exam Answers 1. Answer B: The PMP is the most popular project management certification in the world. It stands for Project Management Professional. Exercise 1 - Answers 2. Answer D: All of the above are true according to PMI. 3. Answer B: Under PMI s Category I qualifications for people who hold a baccalaureate degree, each candidate must possess at least 4,500 hours of professional experience leading projects and 36 months of experience. 4. Answer A: For all PMP candidates 35 contact hours must be obtained. A contact hour is the same as an hour of face time with an instructor. 5. Answer D: Under PMI s Category II qualifications for people who do not hold a baccalaureate degree, each candidate must possess at least 7,500 hours of professional experience leading projects and 60 months of experience. 6. Answer B: Contact hours represent hours of formal instruction or education in the field of project management. Contact hours are the same as PDU categories 1, 3 and/or Answer C: The PMP exam contains 200 questions of which only 175 are actually graded. 25 questions are being evaluated for future addition to the test bank. The test requires you to get 106 of the 175 graded questions correct. 8. Answer A: The executing process group represents 27% of the PMP exam. The planning process group represents 23%. 9. Answer C: 61% or 106 of the 175 scored questions must be answered correctly to pass the PMP exam. Approximately 68% of all exams receive this score or better. 10. Answer D: You should expect none of the correct answers on the exam to be exact quotes from the PMBOK Guide because of the focus on situational questions.